HISTORY OF TONGKAT ALI

Tongkat Ali has been used as traditional medicines for centuries, dating back to 1700, Malaya's colonial era. Below are some of its related historical materials:

Rogge Log (1851): Oxley said that the indigenous of Malaysia used to prepare Tongkat Ali decoction to treat intermittent fever. Malay postpartum women also use Tongkat Ali as afterbirth tonic. (p.439)

John•Gimlette and H.W. Thompson (1939) Dictionary of Malay Medicine: “Infusion and decoction that are prepared using its roots are drunk by Malay as tonic drink”.

I.H Burkill (1936) A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula: “Root, especially its bark, is used as a antipyretic. Its bark taste extremely bitter, though there is large production in peninsula, but its number of exports is little, mostly exports from Borneo to Singapore. Good reputation of consumption of Tongkat Ali makes people believe that it can also be effective for external usage. Hence, they mashed the root and apply on affected area in order to treat headaches, ulcers, wounds and pain, or even pain caused by syphilis.”

According to officially published Indian Materia Medica (A.K Nadkarmi, 1908), Tongkat Ali is a shrub grows in Malaysia, and its bark and roots can be used as fever antipyretics. The root is described to be almost as effective as Quinine in treating Malaria in this book.
Traditionally, Malays and other indigenous of Malaysia use Tongkat Ali as energy tonic, antipyretic, aphrodisiac and antidote of poisoning or snake venom. All these are well recorded in historical documents.

Traditionally, Malays and other indigenous of Malaysia use Tongkat Ali as energy tonic, antipyretic, aphrodisiac and antidote of poisoning or snake venom. All these are well recorded in historical documents.

Julisasi Tri Hadiah, Researcher of Kebun Raya Bogor Indonesia describes the traditional use of E. Longifolia (Tongkat Ali) in Southeast Asia as follows: “In South East Asia, all parts of E. longifolia plants, in particular the roots, have long been used medicinally. The barks of the roots are used in the Malay Peninsula to cure fever, ulcers in the mouth, and intestinal worms. It is also used as a tonic after childbirth. People in some regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan also use the root as an anti-pyretic. In Lampung and Belitung it is used as a medicine for dysentery.”

“In Sabah and Kalimantan, a decoction of the bark is drunk to relieve pain in the bones, and a decoction of the leaves is used for washing itches. In Vietnam, people use the flowers and fruits as a medicine for treating dysentery. The Malays also use the paste of the plant to relieve headache, stomachache, pain caused by syphilis, and many other general pains. In Riau, where the author carried out research, people living in the surrounding forests drink a decoction of the root or stem to cure malaria. Currently, E. longifolia is mostly known as an aphrodisiac. “(Eksplorasi 2.4, p. 6)